Brake lights not working - help please!

C

coldie123

Member
:
323 Astina SP20 2001
Hi all,

I've got a strange problem where the brake lights in both the left and right tail lights don't work when I step on the brake, but the centre brake light in the spoiler does work.

I've checked the fuse and its fine, and I've checked both the brake light bulbs, and I can see that both filaments in both bulbs are intact.

The rear parking lights do work when I turn on the headlights.

Should I try changing the bulbs anyway? Or is there something else I should try first?

cheers,
coldie
 
It is highly improbable that both of the bulbs burnt out at the same time. I would get a voltmeter accross the circuit,a nd measure the power when brake is applied. No power, means some sort of wiring issue.

Of course, swapping the bulbs is easy, but still, it seems odd that both went out. You may wanna do a search, I think this happened before, where both back brake lights went out.
 
Thanks for the reply,

I'll try to measure the voltage across the circuit. I did a see couple of threads about similar problems, but the answer was always replace the bulb...

Just curious, is it possible that the bulbs are burnt out, even though the filaments are intact (just by looking at the bulb the filament seems unbroken)?

Thanks.
 
coldie123 said:
Thanks for the reply,

I'll try to measure the voltage across the circuit. I did a see couple of threads about similar problems, but the answer was always replace the bulb...

Just curious, is it possible that the bulbs are burnt out, even though the filaments are intact (just by looking at the bulb the filament seems unbroken)?

Thanks.
Click to expand...

It could be a problem in the base of the bulb, corrosion, etc. Put in a new bulb and see. Be sure to post the results.
 
Hey,

You were right, the left bulb was burnt out at the base where I couldn't see inside. I checked the resistance across the terminals of the bulb, and there was infinite resistance across the big filament, i.e. broken circuit. I put in a new bulb and it worked fine.

The right bulb turned out to be OK. I fiddled around with the wiring behind the tail light assembly, checking if all the connections were tight, and then suddenly the bulb started working again, so it was probably a loose wire somewhere.

Just a tip: when checking the voltage across the bulb socket to see if the wiring is ok, be very careful not to touch the side pin (ground) and either of the base pins (12V) with the same probe, otherwise it will short circuit and you'll blow a fuse like I did - then none of the brake lights will work :)
 
For the rest of class - this is also the symptom for a bad brake light switch on the pedal.

If you have checked the bulbs and fuse and they are good - this is the next step.

IIRC, there are two switches - one for the 'mains' and one for the top mount light.
 
All of the brake lights work off of the same switch. If any of the lights are working, the switch is fine.

coldie123: your right bulb may still be bad. The filament itself may be loose and by fiddling with it, you may have dropped it back into place temporarily. Keep an eye on it. You may want to keep a spare bulb in your glove box just in case.
 
Thanks for the input guys.

I think you're right about the right side bulb being bad, I'll change it just in case.
 
stupid question (maybe), but..
My brake light is burnt out, and went to get a new one to replace it with.
I stood in the isle at the store and was dumbfounded - had NO idea what to buy!
What bulb do I get???

(humor me, I'm a new P5 owner... )
 
Holy thread resurrection...

Don't know the number off hand but if you take out the old one first, it will have the number printed on the base of bulb.

Alternately, most stores have some sort of application guide that will give you the number, too.

Second alternate is to look it up on Autozone.com or NAPA.com. The numbers are standardized, so it should be the same in Canadia.
 
stupid question (maybe), but..
My brake light is burnt out, and went to get a new one to replace it with.
I stood in the isle at the store and was dumbfounded - had NO idea what to buy!
What bulb do I get???

(humor me, I'm a new P5 owner... )
 
Taxem said:
stupid question (maybe), but..
My brake light is burnt out, and went to get a new one to replace it with.
I stood in the isle at the store and was dumbfounded - had NO idea what to buy!
What bulb do I get???

(humor me, I'm a new P5 owner... )
Click to expand...

They are cheaper from the dealer than you think.

I think they're like less than $3 per bulb.

You'll need a deep 10mm socket in order to change them.
 
^^i had to change my right taillight....it was about as annoying as changing the passenger headlight. but def easier than that.
 
Action Jackson said:
They are cheaper from the dealer than you think.

I think they're like less than $3 per bulb.
Click to expand...

That's about double the price from a parts store.
 
ok, went to Lordco and bought 2 bulbs (cuz I know damn well that I'll have to change the other one soon enough!)

Now just I'm having a smart cocktail before I wander out to perform minor surgery on my ZoomZoom.... stay tuned!
 
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